Dirk Nowitzki
Dirk Werner Nowitzki (born June 19 1978 in W�rzburg, West Germany, now Germany) is a basketball player who stars for the NBA's Dallas Mavericks. Standing at 2.13 m (7'0"), Nowitzki is an all-purpose forward and a consistently dangerous scorer from inside or outside, able to play any position in the frontcourt (center, power forward, or small forward). He is widely regarded as one of the premier players in the NBA today, as well as perhaps the best European player of all time. Early life A native of W�rzburg, Nowitzki came from an athletic family; his father was a handball player and his mother was a member of the German women's national basketball team. He first gained international attention at the spring 1998 Hoop Summit, where he scored 33 points to lead a team of international juniors to a surprise victory over a U.S. junior team. NBA career Early years Later in 1998, he was selected ninth overall in the NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks, but was immediately traded to the Mavericks with the draft rights to Pat Garrity for the draft rights to Robert "Tractor" Traylor. This is considered by many fans as one of the most lopsided trades ever; however, it was a pre-arranged deal between the two teams. Dallas could have taken Nowitzki at #6, but were able to pay him less and get an extra player by letting him slip to #9. Milwaukee had no interest in Nowitzki whatsoever. http://www.nba.com/draft2005/bogut_050629.html?rss=true http://www.hoopsanalyst.com/trademidwest.htm Mavs GM Don Nelson touted Nowitzki as the sure-fire 1998-99 Rookie of the Year at the draft, a lofty expectation for a 19-year-old who was in the U.S. for the first time. Dallas fans were understandably upset, then, when Nowitzki looked lost when on the floor in mop-up minutes as a rookie. Determined to prove that he could be a force in the NBA, Nowitzki returned to Germany in the 1999 offseason, working hard on sharpening his total game. The summer of work helped immensely, as Nowitzki emerged as a starter and future star in 1999-2000, when he averaged 17.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists, finishing second in voting for the league's Most Improved Player. The following season (2000-01), he averaged 21.8 points and 9.2 rebounds and became the first Maverick to be named to the All-NBA team, making the third team. The All-Star In 2001-02, Nowitzki averaged 23.4 points and 9.9 rebounds per game. He made his first appearance in the NBA All-Star Game. He was again selected to the All-NBA team, this time on the second team. In the following summer, he played on the German national team that finished third at the FIBA World Championships in Indianapolis and was named the tournament MVP. Before the 2002-03 season, he was named in a survey of NBA general managers as the league's top international player. He met those expectations; he matched his 2001-02 rebound average and increased his scoring average to a career-high 25.1 points. He was again selected to the All-Star Game and the All-NBA second team. He suffered through nagging ankle injuries in 2003-04, but still managed to finish in the top 10 in the NBA in scoring, at 21.8 ppg, and added 8.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists. He was again selected for the All-Star Game, and again made the All-NBA team, this time on the third team. Nowitzki was one of the Mavericks' few bright spots in a five-game loss to the Sacramento Kings in the first round of the 2004 playoffs, averaging 26.6 points and 11.8 rebounds for the series. MVP candidate On December 2nd, 2004, Nowitzki scored a career-high 53 points in an overtime win against the Houston Rockets http://www.nba.com/games/20041202/HOUDAL/recap.html. Nowitzki was voted to the first team All-NBA squad for the 2004-05 season, although the Mavericks were ousted from the playoffs by the Phoenix Suns, led by former teammate and friend Steve Nash. That season he also earned third place in the league's MVP vote, behind Nash and Shaquille O'Neal, after posting imposing statistics (26.1 ppg, 9.7 rpg, 3.1 apg) during the regular season. By being elected to the first team All-NBA, Nowitzki became the first player who did not attend a United States high school or college to be on the All-NBA first team. On January 3, 2006, Nowitzki broke a Mavericks franchise record, previously held by Nash, by making his 50th consecutive free throw. On January 6, his record streak ended at 60. During the 2006 All-Star Weekend in Houston, Nowitzki scored 18 points to win the Three-point Shootout Contest. The 2005-06 season was an outstanding one for Nowitzki. He averaged 26.6 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 2.8 assists and increased his scoring average again, although his minutes per game were not as high as the playing time of the other leading scorers in the league. He improved his shooting percentage, setting personal season records in field goals (48.0%), three-point shots (40.6%) and free throws (90.1%). He also led the Mavericks to a 60 win season, and they finished with the third best record in the league, behind the defending Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs and Eastern Conference champion Detroit Pistons. Like in the 2004-05 season he finished third in the league's MVP vote, this time behind Nash and LeBron James. In the 2006 NBA Playoffs, Nowitzki scored a playoff high 50 points for himself and in Maverick franchise history against the Pheonix Suns in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals. Nowitzki is tied with Paul Pierce of the Boston Celtics and Zydrunas Ilgauskas of the Cleveland Cavaliers for sixth place among active players who have played their entire NBA career for one team (8 seasons). (Kevin Garnett leads all active players, having played 11 seasons for the Minnesota Timberwolves.) Playing style Nowitzki is one of the best shooters in the NBA, capable of shooting a high percentage from both medium range and beyond the three-point line, an exceptional skill for a 7-foot power forward. His tall frame makes it difficult for defenders to guard and contest his jump shots. Nowitzki possesses a good fadeaway jumper, which is often impossible to block, and he is outstanding at the free throw line (over 90% in 2006). Some critics note that, for a man of his size, he should be able to score more from the low post, although in recent years his inside game has improved. Nowitzki was a great complement to former teammate Steve Nash on the pick and roll. When Nash left for the Phoenix Suns, many felt that both would suffer a drop-off in production, but precisely the opposite has occurred: Nash was named the NBA's MVP in first year in Phoenix, while in 2004-05 Nowitzki became known as one of the premier scorers in the league. Though Nowitzki now has to create his own offense more without the benefit of Nash's pinpoint passes, he was able to adjust to the change fairly easily with a combination of driving and stopping in the lane for jump shots. Nowitzki is not considered an elite defensive player, despite his 7 foot frame, but his defense has improved under the tutelage of current Dallas coach Avery Johnson. Recently, Nowitzki notched a career high in blocks on January 6, 2006, with seven against the Denver Nuggets. Nowitzki is frequently compared to Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird, as both are versatile white players who could shoot the ball extremely well and score a lot of points. The comparison is both aesthetically and statistically apt, as Bird was the most similar player to Nowitzki at age 23, 24, 25 and 27, according to Basketball-Reference.com's similarity scores. The difference between them is that Bird was a better passer and defender, while Nowitzki is a more prolific scorer. Awards/achievements NBA highlights * 5-time NBA All-Star: 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 * 6-time All-NBA: :* First Team: 2005, 2006 :* Second Team: 2002, 2003 :* Third Team: 2001, 2004 * NBA regular-season leader, PER: 2006 (28.1) http://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/PER_year.html * 2-time 3rd in MVP Votes: 2005, 2006 * NBA All-Star Foot Locker Three-Point Shootout Champion: 2006 Milestones * Became the only player in NBA history to register 150 three-point field goals and 100 blocks in a season (he had 151 three-point field goals and 101 blocks in the 2000-01 season) * Became the first player in Dallas Mavericks history to be named to an All-NBA team (2000-01), and is the only Maverick to be named to an All-NBA First Team (2004-05 and 2005-06) * Became the first player in NBA history who did not attend a United States high school or college to be on the All-NBA first team (2004-05) * Became the third player in NBA history (after Rick Barry and Larry Bird) to average 26-plus points while shooting 90 percent or better from the line (2005-06) Dallas Mavericks franchise records * Most points in a game: 53 (December 2, 2004 vs. the Houston Rockets (overtime)) * Most points in a playoff game: 50 (June 1, 2006 vs. the Phoenix Suns) * Most points in a game, regulation, 51 (March 23, 2006 vs. the Golden State Warriors) * Most free throws made, consecutive: 60 (December 22, 2005–January 6, 2006) * Most free throws in a game, attempted, playoffs: 24 (May 13, 2006 vs. the San Antonio Spurs) * Most free throws in a game, made, playoffs: 21 (May 13, 2006 vs. the San Antonio Spurs) * Most free throws in a game, attempted, season: 22 (December 2, 2004 vs the Houston Rockets (overtime)) * Most free throws in a game, made, season: 21 (December 2, 2004 vs the Houston Rockets (overtime)) * Most rebounds, franchise leader in total: 5,149 (after the 2005-06) Other * Named MVP and was the leading scorer of the 2002 Basketball World Championships in Indianapolis, Indiana. * Named MVP and was the leading scorer of the 2005 European Championship, winning the silver medal with the German national team. * Named FIBA European Basketball Player of the Year in 2005. * Named European Basketball Player of the Year by Italian sports newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005. * Runner-up in the 2005 edition of Germany's Athlete of the Year Award (Sportler des Jahres) Trivia * Nowitzki's most popular nicknames are German Wunderkind, Dirk Diggler after the infamous pornstar from Boogie Nights and Dirk the Work for his immaculate work ethic. At the beginning of his career, he was also called Irk because "he had no D", making fun of his subpar 'd'efensive game. * Nowitzki has been lauded throughout his career for his work ethic http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/5578510. In an April 2006 interview with German tabloid Sport-BILD that he admires Larry Bird for his combination of skills, work ethic and winner mentality. http://www.sportbild.de/de/nncs/sportbild/2006/05/08/3191400000.html * Nowitzki revealed that he hums the tune I'm Looking For Freedom by David Hasselhoff to relax before taking free throws. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs2006/news/story?id=2447655 * Nowitzki became a victim of the famous prank show Punk'd, set up by his then-teammate Michael Finley. In that episode, Finley and Nowitzki are eating dinner in a restaurant when a boy (Rob Pinkston) recognizes Nowitzki and asks him to autograph ridiculous amounts of merchandise (Nowitzki signs two Lakers hats and a LeBron James jersey). * Nowitzki is an avid saxophone player. * Sportfreunde Stiller wrote the song "Dirk Wie Ist Es In Amerika?" about Nowitzki for the album Burli. References External links *Nowitzki's official NBA player page *Nowitzki's Career Stats *Fantasy Basketball Stats - Dirk Nowitzki *Dirk Nowitzki ? Player profile, statistics, biography, wallpapers *Dirk Nowitzki at The Internet Movie Database Nowitzki, Dirk Nowitzki, Dirk Nowitzki, Dirk Nowitzki, Dirk Nowitzki, Dirk ar:???? ???????? de:Dirk Nowitzki es:Dirk Nowitzki fr:Dirk Nowitzki it:Dirk Nowitzki he:???? ??????? ja:????????? no:Dirk Nowitzki tr:Dirk Nowitzki